Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include an improved method of forming a thin film solar cell device using a plasma processing treatment between two or more deposition steps. Embodiments of the invention also generally provide a method and apparatus for forming the same. The present invention may be used to advantage to form other single junction, tandem junction, or multi-junction solar cell devices.

Abstract: A method is described of forming a film of an amorphous material on a substrate (14) by deposition from a plasma. The substrate (14) is placed in an enclosure, a film precursor gas is introduced into the enclosure through pipes (20), and unreacted and dissociated gas is extracted from the enclosure through pipes (22) so as to provide a low pressure therein. Microwave energy—is introduced into the gas within the enclosure as a sequence of pulses at a given frequency and power level to produce a plasma therein by distributed electron cyclotron resonance (DECR) and cause material to be deposited from the plasma on the substrate. The frequency and/or power level of the pulses is altered during the course of deposition of material, so as to cause the bandgap to vary over the thickness of the deposited material.

Abstract: A system for displaying images includes a thin film transistor array substrate including a substrate with thin film transistors array and at least one light-sensing element containing an amorphous silicon layer formed on the substrate, wherein the light-sensing element has a current flow direction perpendicular to the substrate.

Abstract: An image sensor may include a first substrate having circuitry including wires and a silicon layer formed on and/or over the first substrate to selectively contact the wires. The image sensor may include photodiodes bonded to the first substrate while contacting the silicon layer and electrically connected to the wires. Each unit pixel may be implemented having complicated circuitry without a reduction in photosensitivity. Additional on-chip circuitry may also be implanted in the design.

Abstract: An approach for material modification in solar cell fabrication with ion doping is described. In one embodiment, there is a method of forming a thin-film solar cell. In this embodiment, a substrate is provided and a thin-film layer is deposited on the substrate. The thin-film solar cell layer is exposed to an ion flux to passivate a defect.

Abstract: A highly sensitive optical sensor element, and a switch element such as a sensor driver circuit are formed on the same insulating substrate by using an LTPS planar process to provide a low cost area sensor (optical sensor device) incorporating the sensor driver circuit and the like or an image display device incorporating the optical sensor element. As an optical sensor element structure, one electrode of the sensor element is manufactured with the same film of the polycrystalline silicon film that is an active layer of the switch element constituting a circuit. A photoelectric conversion unit for performing photoelectric conversion is made of an amorphous silicon or a polycrystalline silicon film of an intrinsic layer. A structure in which the amorphous silicon of the photoelectric conversion unit and the insulating layer are sandwiched between two electrodes of the sensor element is adopted.

Abstract: An artificial amorphous semiconductor material, and a junction made from the material, has a plurality of crystalline semiconductor material quantum dots substantially uniformly distributed and regularly spaced in three dimensions through a matrix of dielectric material or thin layers of dielectric materials. The material is formed by first forming a plurality of layers of dielectric material comprising a compound of a semiconducting material, and forming alternating layers as layers of stoichiometric dielectric material and layers of semiconductor rich dielectric material respectively. The material is then heated causing quantum dots to form in the semiconductor rich layers of dielectric material in a uniform and regularly spaced distribution in three dimensions through the dielectric material.

Abstract: An image detection apparatus includes a substrate, a middle layer formed on the substrate, the middle layer having a quadrilateral hole, and a photoelectric conversion layer deposited on the middle layer. The curvature radius of each of the corner portions of the quadrilateral hole is greater than or equal to 2 ?m. Further, the photoelectric conversion layer is made of an amorphous material.

Abstract: A device for generating a plurality of electron-hole pairs from a photon is disclosed. The device includes a substrate, a first electrode formed above the substrate, and a first doped Group IV nanoparticle thin film deposited on the first electrode. The device further includes an intrinsic layer deposited on the first doped Group IV nanoparticle thin film, wherein the intrinsic layer includes a matrix material with a melting temperature T1, wherein T1 is greater than about 300° C., and a set of quantum confined nanoparticles each with a melting temperature T2, wherein T2 is less than about 900° C., wherein the melting temperature T1 is less than the melting temperature T2.

Abstract: An image sensor and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. A metal wiring layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate including a circuit region, and first conductive layers are formed on the metal layer separated by a pixel isolation layer. An intrinsic layer is formed on the first conductive layers, and a second conductive layer is formed on the intrinsic layer.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image sensor, which includes a substrate having a transistor circuit and lower interconnections. First interconnections are formed separated from each other on the substrate and electrically connected to the CMOS circuitry through the lower interconnections. Planarized insulating layers are formed between the first interconnections to isolate unit pixels. An intrinsic layer is formed on the substrate including the insulating layers, and a second conductive layer is formed on the intrinsic layer. The first interconnections, the intrinsic layer and the second conductive layer provide a photodiode structure for the image sensor.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to thin film multi-junction solar cells and methods and apparatuses for forming the same.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an image sensor device (5) transferring an intensity of radiation (1) into an electrical current (i-i, a2) depending on said intensity, comprising the following steps in a vacuum deposition device: Depositing onto a dielectric, insulating surface a matrix of electrically conducting pads (7a, 7b) as rear electrical contacts, plasma assisted exposing said surface with pads to a donor delivering gas without adding a silicon containing gas, depositing a layer (15) of intrinsic silicon from a silicon delivering gas depositing a doped layer (17) and arranging an electrically conductive layer (19) transparent for said radiation (1) as a front contact. The method of fabricating an image-sensor-device and the image-sensor-device are avoiding disadvantages of the prior art. This means the image-sensor-device of the invention has a good ohmic contact, a low dark-current, no pixel-cross-talk and a reproducible fabrication-process.

Abstract: A method for the production of a photovoltaic device is disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises providing a carrier substrate. The method further comprises forming a crystalline semiconductor layer on the substrate. The method further comprises carrying out hydrogen passivation of the crystalline semiconductor layer. The method further comprises creating an emitter on the surface of the passivated crystalline semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A photoelectric converter of a high signal-to-noise ratio, low cost, high productivity and stable characteristics and a system including the above photoelectric converter. The photoelectric converter includes a photoelectric converting portion in which a first electrode layer, an insulating layer for inhibiting carriers from transferring, a photoelectric converting semiconductor layer of a non-single-crystal type, an injection blocking layer for inhibiting a first type of carriers from being injected into the semiconductor layer and a second electrode layer are laminated in this order on an insulating substrate.